Internal combustion engine with rotary valve



C. A. HURTIG INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE WITH ROTARY VALVE Filed NOV. 7, 1934 Carl A. Huff/g By M ATTORNEYS C. A. HURTlG Oct. 29, 1935.

- INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE WITH ROTARY VALVE -2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Nov. '7, 1934 Patented Oct. 29, 1935 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE INTERNAL CODIBUSTION ENGINE WITH ROTARY VALVE Minneapolis, Minn.

Application November 7, 1934, Serial No. 751,841

4 Claims. (Cl. 123-190) This invention relates to internal combustion engines, and generally stated, has for its objects the provision of a simple, noiseless valve structure which will be subject to a minimum of wear and in which the valve-actuating mechanism is not complicated by the increased number of cylinders and in which there will be a uniform timing and compression. This is accomplished by the use of a single rotary valve for all of the cylinders and by a novel arrangement thereof wherein the valve may be water-cooled. The rotary valve is mounted in a valve seat or seats in the heads of the cylinder or cylinders; and within the rotary valve is a non-rotary or relatively fixed valve core provided with ports that co-operate with the cylinder and valve ports both for admission and exhaust, in a definite order of succession, depending for its order of cylinder firing actions on the predetermined structure of the valve.

By this arrangement, all poppet valves and their complicated valve-actuating tappets and the like with their resulting noise and wear, are eliminated and a simplest kind of driving connection between the engine crank shaft and the rotary valve is made possible. For four-cycle engines, the valve will, of course, be driven at the rate of one rotation for each two complete rotations of the engine crank shaft.

As above indicated, the engine may involve any desired number of cylinders from one up to the maximum number consistent with good engine structure.

In the accompanying drawings, wherein like characters indicate like parts throughout the several views, I have illustrated the invention as applied to a six-cylinder internal combustion engine.

Referring to these drawings:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation with some parts in vertical section taken axially through the cylinder,

showing the engine involving my invention;

Fig. 2 is a vertical section taken on the line 22 of Fig. 1, some parts being broken away;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary section taken on the line 33 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a perspective showing the rotary valve; Fig. 5 is a perspective showing the non-rotary or relatively fixed valve core;

Figs. 6, 7, 8, and 9 are fragmentary sections taken through the valve mechanism and illustrating different positions of the rotary valve; and Figs. 10, 11, 12 and 13 are diagrammatic views chiefly in section illustrating the positions of one of the pistons for positions of the valve illustrated respectively in Figs. 6, 7, 8 and 9.

Of the parts of the engine which may be considered standard or of any suitable structure, the numeral [4 indicates the cylinders, the numeral I5, the pistons, the numeral It, the engine crank shaft, the numeral H, the connecting rods, the 5 numeral l8, the crank case, the numeral [9, the carburetor, and the numeral 20, the fan.

In this preferred embodiment of my invention, the cylinder heads are afforded by a common casting 2| which is preferably made hollow for the 10 circulation of water therethrough. This common cylinder head forming casting 2i is formed with a cylindrical valve seat that extends over all of the cylinders and is in communication with the several cylinders through ports 22. 15

Rotatably mounted in the above noted valve seat is the rotary cylindrical valve 23, which for each cylinder is provided with a circumferential port 2 3 that extends substantially through llii degrees or half way around the said valve, less the width of port 22 and are arranged to register during each half rotation of said valve with the co-operating cylinder port 22. The said ports 24 are set certain thereof progressively circumferen- 25 tially the one ahead of the other, so as to co-operate with the cylinder ports 22 in the desired order of succession, the arrangement illustrated being such that said ports will register with the said cylinder ports in the order of one-five-three 30 six-two-four, counted from the right toward the left in respect to Figs. 1, 4 and 5. This rotary valve 23 may be driven from the engine crank shaft at the rate of one rotation for each two rotations of the latter, by any suitable means, but 35 as illustrated, this is accomplished by a sprocket chain 25' that runs over a sprocket 26 on the engine crank shaft and over a sprocket 27 on the extended end of said valve, said sprocket 21 being twice the diameter of the sprocket 26. 40

As an important feature of this invention, a non-rotary or relatively fixed valve core 28 is closely fitted within the rotary valve 23. This valve core for each cylinder is provided with a three-way port 29a, 29b and 290. The prong or 45 port terminal 29a is alignedwith the cylinder port 22; the prong or port terminal 2% is aligned with a gas supply or intake port 36, while the prong or port terminal 290 is aligned with an exhaust port 3!. The several intake ports 30 by 50 a suitable manifold structure 32 are connected: to the carburetor I 9, while the several exhaust ports 3| through a suitable manifold, not shown, or otherwise lead to the atmosphere.

It is highly desirable that the core 28 is made 5 hollow so that water may be circulated therethi'ough, see particularly Figs. 1 and 6 to 9, inclusive. To anchor said core against rotation, it is shown as provided at its left-hand end with a flanged end 33 which, by machine screws 34 or the like, is anchored to the adjacent end of the hollowcylinder head casting, see Fig. 1. Water is supplied to this end of the hollow core from the water-jacketed cylinder block through a short pipe or connection 35, and the water is drawn off from the opposite end of said core through a branch pipe or connection 36 that taps the return water-circulating pipe or connection 31 that leads from the water cavity of the cylinder head casting 2|.

It is anticipated that there will be some slight leakage of gas under high compression fromthe one cylinder toward theother, and to prevent this leakage from being delivered from'the one cylinder to the other, the seat in the casting 2| for the rotary valve is shown as provided between the cylinders with small annular grooves 38 that independently lead to the atmosphere, as shown in Figs. 1 and 3. As shown in Fig. 3, the cylinder head casting 25 is detachably an chored to the cylinder block by nut-equipped bolts or long studs 39. In the structure shown, the rotary valve 21 is held against endwise dis-' placement while free for rotation by a collar 40 placed on the core 28 between the sprocket 21 and a plate 4 l, which latter is rigidly but detachably secured to the cylinder head casting and crank case. In Fig. 2, one of the spark plugs is indicated by the numeral 42. For a purpose which will presently appear, the sprocket 26 isshown as secured to the adjacent trunnion of the crank shaft It by means of a set screw 43, see Fig. 1, which makes it possible to adjust said sprocket circumferentially in respect to the cranks of said shaft.

The valve 23 is arranged to rotate in a clockwise direction in respect to Figs. 2 and 6 to 9, in-

clusive.

Figs. 6 to 9, inclusive, and 10 to 13, inclusive, as above indicated, illustrate positions of the rotary valve and co-operating piston at the ends of each of the four piston movements. To be more specific, Fig. 6 illustrates the position of the rotary valve 23 when the co-operating piston I5 is at the limit of its intake stroke, shown in Fig. 10, and is about to commence its compression stroke, and at which time said valve closes both the intake to and the exhaust from the cylinder.

Fig. '7 shows the position of the valve 23 when the piston has completed its compression stroke, as shown in Fig. 11, and is about to commence its power or working stroke under the action of the exploded mixture, and at which time said valve closes both the intake to and exhaust from the engine. Fig. 8 shows the position of the valve when the piston has reached the limit of its power or working stroke, shown in Fig. 10, and is about to begin its exhaust stroke, and at which time the said valve closes the admission to and exhaust from the engine and is about to begin the opening of the exhaust passages from the cylinder. Obviously, all of the time that the' 7'0 piston is making its compression stroke and working stroke, both the admission and exhaust passages to and from the engine are kept closed by said rotary valve and moreover, the admission port will be kept closed while the exhaust port is open and the piston is making its exhaust stroke.

Fig. 9 shows the position of the said rotary valve when the piston has reached the limit of its exhaust stroke shown in Fig. 13, and is about to begin its intake stroke or movement, and at which time the rotary valve has closed the ex- 5 terior and exterior surfaces due to the circu- 10 lation of water through the hollow core and surrounding hollow cylinder head structure. The circulation of water through these water-containing cooling elements may be either due to natural circulation or convection or any suit- 15 able or well-known water-circulating pump may be provided.

In view of these water-containing interior and exterior elements in contact with the valve, the differential of expansion between the valve and 20 its engaging elements will be reduced to a minimum. Inasmuch, however, as there may be some slight leakage which, as already indicated, should not be delivered from one cylinder to the other, the above described vents 38 between cylinders 25 have been provided. These vents as is evident, prevent the passage of leaking gases, if any, from the one cylinder to the other, and insures a uniform compression in the several cylinders.

As already stated, the order of firing of the sev- 30' eral cylinders will be predetermined by the arrangement of the ports in the rotary valve. Some adjustments of the valve rotatably in respect to the rotation of the crank shaft may be desirable in the first instance to properly time the valve in 3b respect to the piston movements and to keep the same properly timed in case of wear in the transmission mechanism between the crank shait and the valve. This can be accomplished in various different ways by advancing or retarding, for ex- 0 ample, the position of one of the sprockets 26 and 21 or corresponding elements, the one in respect to the other. The provision described for adjustment of the sprocket 26 will accomplish the said result. Also, to a less extent, the timing could 5 terations and arrangements in the engine struc- 5'5:

ture illustrated in the drawings may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention herein claimed.

What I claim is:

1. In an internal combustion engine, the com- 60 bination with a cylinder structure provided in its head with a seat for a rotary valve, said seat having three ports set approximately degrees apart, one port being connected to a fluid fuel supply, the second port opening into said cylinder, and the 65 third port leading to exhaust, 01 a rotary valve mounted in said seat and having a port extending circumferentially through approximately degrees and arranged to co-operate with the ports of said valve seat, said valve being driven in timed 7O relation in respect to said crank shaft and piston, and a non-rotary core fitted within said rotary valve and having a three-prong passage terminating in three ports substantially aligned with the three ports of said valve seat. 75

2. The structure defined in claim 1 in which said engine is a multi-cylinder engine of the type therein defined and in which said valve has ports for the several cylinders, set circumferentially one ahead of the other so as to control admission and exhaust to and from the several cylinders in a predetermined order of succession.

3. In an internal combustion engine, the combination with a cylinder structure provided in its head with a seat for a rotary valve, said seat having three circumferentially spaced ports, one port being connected to a fluid fuel supply, the second port opening into said cylinder, and the third port leading to exhaust, of a rotary valve mounted in said seat and having a port extending circumferentially thereof and arranged to co-operate with the ports of said valve seat, said valve being driven in timed relation in respect to the engine crank shaft and piston, and a non-rotary core fitted within said valve and having a threepronged passage terminating in three circumferentially spaced ports substantially aligned with the three circumferentially spaced ports of said valve seat.

4. The structure defined in claim 3 in which said engine is a multi cylinder engine of the type 1 

